Tuesday 18 November 2014

Cheap as chips but oh so good...





Those of you that follow my Instagram account will know that this time last week me and my husband took our first holiday together to Marrakech.  The instant that holiday was booked I felt the urgency to revamp my makeup wardrobe.  I didn't want to pick up anything expensive as this trip was going to be all about taking in the sights and enjoying the sun with my man, not spending hours in front of the mirror.  However I am still a makeup junkie and I wasn't going to spend 5 days out there without any makeup at all so I had a quick snoop around in my stash and identified the obvious gaps in my collection.
Being a very dry-skinned girl I've never really felt the need to powder my face or set my foundation, it tends to stick around all day regardless however seeing as we were going to a fairly hot country I figured a powder may be quite useful.  Enter my first cheap as chips companion, the MUA Pro-Base prime and conceal powder.  At first I assumed I would just pick up the Rimmel pressed powder that everybody seems to rave about however the colours of this little baked powder, aimed at complexion correction, really intrigued me.  After swatching this on my hand I was sold instantly! It not only matches my complexion perfectly and evens the tone but gives me an almost undetectable glow which doesn't look like its been applied, just that its coming from within! It's amazing and priced at just £4 a total bargain! Go out and have a play with this if you're near a Superdrug store, you will NOT be disappointed.
Now aside from my obvious need for a setting powder I felt the need for a simple little palette.  One with mattes and shimmers, nudes, beiges, pinks and smokey browns and this little palette from I Heart Makeup London called #Selfie fits that description pretty well.  This was a brand I'd never heard of before venturing into my local Superdrug store.  They have a pretty basic range which consists mainly of eyeshadow palettes so I gave them a swatch and was very impressed.  No matter the formula each colour transfers beautifully onto the skin and lasts a whole day of shopping, eating and sunbathing without any difficulties.  It has enough of a colour range to satisfy all occasions be it a simple day look or more vampy evening look.  This was a total bargain at £4.99 and I figured if this got lost, stolen or broken in transit I really wouldn't worry as much as I would have taking my Urban Decay Naked palette along.
For drugtore products you can't really go wrong with these two products and I'm intrigued now to try out some other cheap but cheerful drugstore finds.  Any suggestions anybody?








Monday 3 November 2014

My little winter skin life savers...


And here they are!  I am one of those very fortunate (not) people who's skin shrivels up like a prune as the weather changes.  Pair that with being horrendously ill for the past week and my skin has just been hating me and craving some TLC... 
So along with getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of hot lemon water and popping numerous vitamins and pills I've been reaching for some skin saviours to try and look human again.
I've had this bottle of Espa Balancing Herbal Spafresh Spritzer for about a year and have literally only used a quarter of it because I tend to savour every spritz and use it very sparingly.  It has a calming herbal scent and just gives my skin a little instant boost.   
With a blocked nose and cheese grater throat comes dry sore lips and despite piling on lots of The Body Shop coconut or honey lip butters the only thing that has really soothed my lips is the Blistex Intensive Moisturiser.  This stuff is instant gratification and relief in a tube, it just gets the job done. I love it!  
I have never really tried anything from the 'Yes to..' range so I decided to pick up the Yes to Carrots Rich Moisture Day Cream for normal to dry skin.  This is so good I want to slap it on every five minutes just because it feels so good and smells like floral carrots.  If thats possible...??  I'd say this moisturiser is a one-size-fits-all as my husband who has very oily skin has been loving this too.
The newest additions to my little skin stash are the Nivea Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream and the Boots Botanics Super Serum Triple Age Renewal.  Both of these products are geared more at anti-ageing than hydrating but being somebody who doesn't generally use either an eye cream or a serum (shock horror!!) I think my skin has just been enjoying the extra layers of product and having noticed a few laughter lines around my eyes I'm hoping I can nip that in the bud ASAP!!
I will always have a jar of the Clarins HydraQuench Cream in my cupboard ready to work its Hydrating magic when nothing else will cut it.  It's a thick but light moisturiser that just sinks into the skin and leaves it feeling plumped and soothed.  It's like a little skin drink in a jar that I think I will love forever.
Finally I like to conclude my routine with the Loreal Paris Skin Perfection Anti-Fatigue Perk-Up Cream.(link)  Aside from having the worlds longest name this cream does what it says on the tube and more.  It's a skincare/makeup hybrid which goes onto the skin as a grey tinged moisturiser and once blended morphs into a good skin day dewy tint that matches my skin tone perfectly.  As the name suggests it instantly perks up fatigued and dull skin and leaves you looking awake and healthy.  This has to be my absolute favourite product of the bunch at the moment as it just makes me look alive again especially throughout the past week when I've felt a bit like the walking dead and not having slept for days.
I hope this post has been a little bit helpful for anybody feeling as poopy as I am or for those suffering with their skin with the current climate.  Let me know your skin saviours, I'd love to know!